Russia previously criticized NATO’s discussions about bolstering its nuclear defenses as “escalatory.”
According to a Bloomberg report released on Monday, citing publicly available data and defense experts, the United States has likely redeployed nuclear weapons to the United Kingdom for the first time in over 15 years, potentially as a warning to Russia.
The report indicates that on July 16, a U.S. military transport plane with its transponder active flew from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, a known nuclear weapons storage site, to RAF Lakenheath in eastern England. Several defense analysts believe the aircraft was carrying B61-12 thermonuclear bombs, marking the first confirmed U.S. nuclear deployment to the UK since 2008.
William Alberque, a former senior NATO arms control official, stated that leaving the aircraft’s transponder on was deliberate and intended to send a message to Moscow. He said, “This is a down payment that there’s more to come on shifting NATO’s deterrence posture toward strengthening. Returning US nuclear weapons to the UK is no small feat.”
Neither the U.S. nor the UK has verified the redeployment. The number of weapons potentially redeployed by the U.S. remains unclear.
NATO’s nuclear presence in Europe has largely remained consistent since the Cold War’s end, with tactical nuclear weapons currently stationed in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Türkiye. Any movement of nuclear assets closer to Russia would likely be viewed as a significant escalation.
The Bloomberg report follows the UK’s confirmation in June of plans to acquire at least 12 F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying U.S. B61-12 bombs. London described the move as “the biggest strengthening of the UK’s nuclear posture in a generation.”
Last year, former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the alliance was considering deploying more nuclear weapons to deter Russia and China, whom he referred to as “potential adversaries.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the remarks as “yet another fueling of tensions.”